Recipe and book pairings

What kind of drink would Captain America like? What kind of book would he read?

Does the Hulk like cookbooks or comics? Does Thor eat salads, and what kind? These are all burning questions that everyone wants to know. We got you! We've done some research on what Avengers would like to eat, drink, and read!

Recipes and recommended reads

Captain America punch

Captain Marvel vegan lasagna

Hulk cinnamon buns

Iron Man cheeseburger

Shuri hummus

Spiderman nachos

Captain America punch

Ingredients

• fruit punch (Great Value brand)
• ginger ale
• reduced sugar blue Gatorade

Directions

1. Add ice to your glass.
2. Pour the fruit punch to about 1/3 of the glass.
3. Tip the glass to the side and slowly pour the ginger ale to about 2/3 of the glass.
4. Tip the glass to the side and very slowly pour the blue Gatorade to fill the glass.
5. Serve and enjoy.

Serve with Baychimo: Arctic Ghost Ship by Anthony Dalton.

Captain Marvel vegan lasagna

Ingredients

• 1 pound lasagna noodles
• 14 ounces vegan ricotta cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 10 ounces fresh spinach
• 8 ounces vegan mozzarella cheese
• 3 cups marina sauce

Directions

1. Boil water for your noodles in a large pot. Cook pasta according to the package instructions, until al dente. Drain noodles from water and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, until softened. Add garlic and spinach, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until spinach is wilted. Set aside.
3. Prepare a large baking pan by spraying with non-stick cooking spray. Spread one cup of pasta sauce in the bottom of the pan.
4. Lay a single layer of lasagna noodles down first. Top with a layer of spinach filling, then a layer of ricotta, then a sprinkle of vegan mozzarella cheese. Repeat until all noodles are used. Top with one more layer of pasta sauce, and a sprinkle of vegan mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake at 400 for about 20-25 minutes.

Serve with Sustainable Aviation Futures by Lucy Budd, Steven Griggs and David Howarth.

Hulk cinnamon buns

Ingredients: rolls

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/4 teaspoons Red Star Platinum yeast or any instant yeast (1 packet)
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large egg

Ingredients: filling

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar or packed light or dark brown sugar

Ingredients: icing

• 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2–3 tablespoons strong brewed coffee or milk

Directions

• Make the dough: Whisk the flour, sugar, salt, and yeast together in a large bowl. Set aside.
• Combine the milk, water, and butter together in a heatproof bowl. Microwave or use the stove and heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is warm to touch (about 110°F). Pour into the dry ingredients, add the egg, and stir until it forms a soft dough or use your mixer.
• On a lightly floured surface using floured hands, knead the dough for 3 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl (I use non-stick spray), cover loosely, and let rest for about 10 minutes.
• Fill the rolls: After 10 minutes, roll the dough out in a 14 × 8 inch rectangle. Spread the softened butter on top. Mix together the cinnamon and sugar. Sprinkle it all over the dough. Roll up the dough tightly. Cut into 10-12 even rolls and arrange in a lightly greased 9-inch round cake pan or pie dish.
• Rise: Tightly cover the rolls with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free environment for 60-90 minutes. See blog post above for my trick to this step!
• Bake the rolls: After the rolls have doubled in size, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake for 25-28 minutes until lightly browned. If you notice the tops are getting too brown too quickly, loosely cover the rolls with aluminum foil and continue baking.
• Make the icing: Whisk the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and coffee/milk together. Drizzle or spread over warm rolls.
• Cover leftover frosted or unfrosted rolls tightly and store for up to 3 days at room temperature or up to five days in the refrigerator.

Serve with Encyclopedia of Foods: a Guide to Healthy Nutrition by the Dole Food Company; Mayo Clinic; UCLA Center for Human Nutrition.

Iron Man cheeseburger

Ingredients

• 2 pounds freshly ground chuck, (at least 80% lean, a.k.a. 80/20)
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 12 slices deli-counter American cheese
• 6 large burger buns, preferably homemade, toasted if desired

To garnish

• ketchup
• mayonnaise
• thousand island dressing
• sliced red onion
• sliced tomatoes
• sliced pickles
• fresh lettuce leaves

Directions

1. In a large bowl, mix ground beef, onion powder, salt and pepper until just combined. Do not overmix, or your patties will be tough. 
2. Divide into six portions and form patties, without pressing too hard. They should be uniform in thickness. Smooth out any cracks using your fingers. Make these right before you grill them, so they stay at room temperature. 
3. Preheat your grill, grill pan or cast-iron skillet to high heat and add burger patties. If using a grill, cover with the lid.
4. Cook until the crust that forms on the bottom of the burger releases it from the pan or grate — about 2 minutes. Gently test, but don't flip it until it gets to this point. When burgers lift up easily, flip, add two slices of cheese to each, close lid if using a grill, and cook on the other side for another 2-3 minutes for medium to medium rare. 
5. Remove burgers with a sturdy metal spatula and transfer to a plate. Allow to rest for several minutes, then transfer to buns.
6. Garnish as desired and serve immediately.

Serve with Handbook of Farm, Dairy, and Food Machinery Engineering by Myer Kutz.

Shuri hummus

Ingredients

• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas or 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (1 large lemon)
• 1/4 cup well-stirred tahini
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• salt to taste
• 2 to 3 tablespoons water
• dash ground paprika or sumac, for serving

Directions

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the tahini and lemon juice and process for 1 minute, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then process for 30 seconds more. This extra time helps “whip” or “cream” the tahini, making the hummus smooth and creamy.
• Add the olive oil, minced garlic, cumin, and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the whipped tahini and lemon juice. Process for 30 seconds, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then process another 30 seconds or until well blended.
• Open, drain, and rinse the chickpeas. Add half of the chickpeas to the food processor and process for 1 minute. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl, then add remaining chickpeas and process until thick and quite smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Most likely the hummus will be too thick or still have tiny bits of chickpea. To fix this, with the food processor turned on, slowly add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water until you reach the perfect consistency.
• Taste for salt and adjust as needed.
• Serve hummus with a drizzle of olive oil and dash of paprika.
• Store homemade hummus in an airtight container and refrigerate up to one week.

Serve with The Bold and the Brave: a History of Women in Science and Engineering by Monique Frize.

Spiderman nachos

Ingredients

• 1 standard size bag of tortilla chips
• 1 pound cheese such as Cheddar, Monterrey Jack or Colby Jack, shredded
• optional topping such as: seasoned ground beef, shredded beef, pork or chicken, black beans or pinto beans, tomatoes, jalapenos or chilies, corn, black olives, avocados
• use as little or as much as you like of toppings this is a personal choice type of thing!

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
2. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or foil.
3. Spread chips over the cookie sheet.
4. Sprinkle half of the grated cheese over the chips.
5. Sprinkle toppings over the chips and cheese.
6. Sprinkle on remaining cheese.
7. Bake for approximately 10 minutes, or until cheese is good and melty.
8. Serve warm with sides such as guacamole, sour cream or salsa.

Serve with Fractals: a Very Short Introduction by Kennith Falconer.